12

INTRODUCTION.

payable  for  registry  of  rules  of  a  branch  or
amendment  of  rules  was  reduced  to  2.9.  6d.  The
privileges  of  investing  money  with  the  Commissioners ­
  for  the  Reduction  of  the  National  Debt,
and  of  payment  of  sums  up  to  £50  without  letters
of  administration,  were  to  be  granted  to  certified
societies  only.  An  elaborate  form  of  annual
return  was  provided.  This  Act  was  to  be  a  temporary ­
  Act,  if  not  renewed  after  one  year.
17.  In  1852,  Industrial  and  Provident  (or  Cooperative) ­
  Societies  were  taken  out  of  the  control
of  this  Act,  and  a  special  Act  passed  in  respect  to
them  (15  &  16  Yict.  c.  31).  In  the  same  session
the  Friendly  Societies  Act  was  continued  and
slightly  amended,  and  it  was  again  continued  in
1854.  In  1853  (by  16  &  17  Yict.  c.  123)  the
societies  which  granted  assurances  exceeding
£200,  &c.,  having  been  certified  under  old  Acts,
were  restricted  from  investing  their  funds  with  the
National  Debt  Commissioners,  but  received  in
exchange  fuller  powers  of  general  investment.  In
1854  all  societies  which  granted  large  assurances
were  discharged  from  the  Friendly  Societies  Acts
(17  &  18  Viet.  c.  56J.
18.  In  1855  the  law  of  Friendly  Societies  was
again  consolidated,  with  material  amendments,
by  the  18  &  19  Viet.  c.  63,  which  continued  to
be  the  principal  statute  to  the  commencement  of
the  Act  of  1875,  on  1st  January,  1876.  By  that
Act  the  purposes  for  which  a  Friendly  Society
might  be  established,  Avcre  restricted  to  life  assurance, ­
  relief  in  old  age,  sickness  and  widowhood,
endowments,  and  such  purposes  (ejusdem  generis)